Express Spaghetti Carbonara (Printable)

Quickly prepared spaghetti with creamy sauce, crispy bacon, and Parmesan for a rich, flavorful meal.

# Components:

→ Pasta

01 - 7 oz dried spaghetti

→ Sauce

02 - 2 large eggs
03 - 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Bacon

05 - 3.5 oz diced bacon or pancetta

→ To Serve

06 - Extra Parmesan cheese for garnish
07 - Freshly cracked black pepper

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente following package directions. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - In a bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
03 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
04 - Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet with bacon off the heat. Immediately pour the egg and Parmesan mixture over the pasta. Toss vigorously, gradually adding reserved pasta water until the sauce is silky and evenly coats the spaghetti.
05 - Plate immediately and garnish with extra Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Dinner ready in under twenty minutes with ingredients most people already have at home.
  • The creamy sauce comes from eggs and pasta water, no cream needed, which somehow tastes more luxurious.
  • It's foolproof once you understand the one trick that matters: temperature control and timing.
02 -
  • The pasta must still be hot when you add it to the bacon; cold pasta won't help the eggs emulsify into sauce.
  • Add the pasta water slowly and stop when the sauce looks creamy, not soupy—it continues to thicken slightly as everything cools on the plate.
  • Never add the eggs to a hot pan directly; the pasta itself is your buffer, which is why you toss the hot pasta first.
03 -
  • Have everything prepped and within arm's reach before the pasta finishes cooking; carbonara moves too fast for searching through the fridge.
  • If your sauce looks too thick once plated, drizzle a little warm pasta water over the top—it'll loosen up and keep the silky texture alive.
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